So, I had a bit of a sore throat this week and although it wasn't one of the key symptoms of COVID, I had to stay in one day from work just to keep an eye on things and after much saltwater gargling, propolis spraying and just sleeping, I awoke the next morning to a normal-feeling throat. In pre-COVID times, I wouldn't have thought twice about going into work, but now we are checking temperatures, asking "how are you feeling questions" and making an extra effort to keep ourselves and others healthy even if it may just be a simple cold or allergies. We've also been eating a ton of vegetables and fruit since going into Quarantine and with such minimal exposure to people (neither my husband or I have been using public transit), the only way either of us will get sick is from stress or something truly random that we catch from outside. I haven't had a cold or flu in over a year so fingers crossed that everyone stays healthy for the rest of the year!
Something that came up repeatedly at the height of Phase 1 of Quarantine was "yeast" from our desire to bake bread amongst other things. From my time studying cell biology, yeast, or Saccharomyces, has a whole other meaning for me as biologically there were whole courses on this beloved fungi as it is one of the organisms that form the basis for viral and genetic research. For something so simple, it does a lot! Little did I expect to see this word in the name of this JM Solution sheet mask! This is another well-loved Korean skincare brand that I have been seeing everywhere in the last two years both in the online and in-store world which is GREAT because these are seriously GOOD masks!
There are two parts to this mask: a "lacto essence" and the actual mask that is soaking in another hydrating essence. The lacto essence contains avena sativa, rice extract, saccharomyces rice ferment and lactobacillus. The idea behind probiotic skincare is to let the microorganisms do their job of regulating the natural flora and fauna that reside on our skin. This means that over time, the skin's natural microbiome is strengthened making it more resistant to sensitivity, environmental stressors, dryness and disruptions in pH. The idea with this 2-step mask is to harness the benefits of probiotics and then layer it with hydration and firmness in the form of multiple forms of hyaluronic acid and hydrolyzed collagen.
Mask Summary:
Price: $3-5 CDN (I paid $2.99 at Miniso)
Skin concerns: dryness, loss of firmness and wrinkles
Scent: Kind of sour, like yogurt
Essence type: Milky white cream
Duration: 10-15 min
Thickness: Thin
Mask Fit: The mask material was very thin as this was a Tencel cupra sheet, but the "moustache" portion was a bit stretched out and did not sit well. Everywhere else was pretty good.
Tackiness: Very light
Hydration: Quite good! My skin felt quite soft afterwards even though I felt like there wasn't enough essence to fully soak the sheet mask.
Other notes: It was challenging to pop the "lacto essence pouch" and even more challenging to merge this cream with whatever fluid was in the top half so it was more like merging the fluid portion DOWN into the cream.
Final verdict: Though I complained about the experience leading up to putting on the mask with the mask not fitting quite right and the slightly sour fermentation scent, the results were really nice. There is a bit of dimethicone in the formulation as well as mineral oil, but I feel they were used in the right way and my skin felt incredibly plump and smooth, not tacky upon removal with the results last until the next day. Though I bought just a single of this, they are sold in boxes of 10 so if I ever see them at T&T (sometimes they carry it), I will pick up more!
JM Solution can be found at various retailers both in-store and online.
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